


Happy Pitchers and Catchers Day

by Pun



Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: Baseball, M/M, RPF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-05
Updated: 2011-02-05
Packaged: 2017-10-15 10:33:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/159937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pun/pseuds/Pun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The package was about the size and shape of a mousetrap, and Derek was feeling suspiciously murine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy Pitchers and Catchers Day

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Pitchers and Catchers Day 2008.

The package was there when Derek got home Thursday night, a rectangular white box tied in a red bow. The attached card read simply: “For Derek. Love, Alex.”

Derek held it up to his ear and shook it, listening to the thump-thump sound of whatever was inside.

He placed the box back down on the counter and eyed it warily. The package was about the size and shape of a mousetrap, and Derek was feeling suspiciously murine.

*

Alex’s cell phone chirped at him from his jacket pocket, and Cynthia put her fork down with a clatter, sucking her teeth and looking murder at him.

“You didn’t turn your phone off?”

“I’m sorry, baby. Sorry,” he said putting one hand out in apology as the other slipped into his pocket for the phone. He glanced down and saw it was Derek calling. “I really have to take this, sweetheart. Sorry. Two minutes.” He held up two fingers already standing up from the table and turning away from the furious clench of his wife’s jaw.

“Hey,” he said into the phone as he walked through the maze of rose-bedecked tables, each with a couple doing their best to pretend they were too in love and absorbed in each other to notice that the best ball player in the world was walking by.

“Are you using it?” Alex asked.

Derek sighed over the line. “You bought me an iPhone,” he said.

“Yeah,” Alex smiled and stepped out the front door of the restaurant. The air had cooled off now that the sun was down, but it was still muggy compared to the climate-controlled atmosphere inside. “You said you liked mine at the Munson shindig, so I figured I’d get you one.”

“Alex, I might not have a 300 million dollar contract, but I can buy myself a phone, if I want one.” Alex just knew that Derek was standing with his free hand on his hip as he spoke. Derek really needed to learn to lighten up a little.

“I know, but I wanted to get you something. You know,” Alex looked all around and lowered his voice, “for Valentine’s day.”

"For _Valentine’s Day_? You're married! You're probably out with your wife right now."

Alex said, "Well, yeah, but—“

“You shouldn’t be buying me gifts. It’s not appropriate.”

Alex rolled his eyes at Derek and all his rules and regulations. “We're teammates now," he argued.

“What does that have to do with anything? We were teammates before.”

“Yeah, but now we’re teammates permanently.” Alex felt so happy when he said it. He wished he could go back in time ten years to tell their younger selves the news, just so he could see the joy and disbelief on their faces.

“That doesn’t change the fact that we broke up.” Alex winced. He always preferred to think of it as a mutual agreement to put things on hold. “Years ago,” Derek added.

“Right, but I thought maybe now that things are more settled in terms of my future we could—“

“You’re married!”

“The season’s about to start,” Alex explained. Of course, Derek wasn’t married so he didn’t really get the important distinction between life as a ballplayer and life during the off-season.

“You are _insane_. I have to go."

“Okay,” Alex said. “See you next week."

"Whatever. Bye." Derek disconnected before Alex could say anything more.

Alex felt a little sad that his gift hadn’t gone over better, but he couldn’t stay down for long knowing that he had the next eight months stretching ahead of him to talk Derek around to his point of view.

*

“Oh, cool, man,” Jorge said to Derek at batting practice the next day. “You finally got an iPhone. How is it?”

“Well,” Derek said, looking to the side to spit a few sunflower seeds into the dirt and smiling a little to himself, “it’s pretty sweet.”


End file.
